bEwAbG

Today's email programs allow you to request delivery confirmation. It shows what day and time the person opened the email. That is just as good as sending a certified letter.

If I sent an email to your home and I have a receipt that it was opened by someone at your home, the burden of proving you didn't receive it is yours, not mine. As I said, it is the same as a certified letter. The certified receipt proves you received the letter, not that you read it.

The two forms of receipt offer the same value for each of the two DIFFERENT forms of communication. Neither offers proof that the mail was read. Both offer proof that it was received.

I’m puzzled why you keep harping on email read receipts when you already note the biggest issue with them is that they don’t provide proof of anything except delivery to another email exchange.

Certified mail carries weight in the law because it’s administered by a government entity. An email read receipt depends on a variety of factors subject to the whims of the programmers of the multitudes of email platforms out there. Not all email programs even have the ability to send read receipts. Everyone I know has set our office program to automatically and always not send a receipt because read receipts are typically used by the “I see you got my email” types.

That said, what does any of this have to do with anything? The company is asserting they sent reminder emails. The OP says she didn’t receive them. The OP also says Celebrity is only seeing emails from months earlier—not the last minute reminders. So if they had these read receipts (assuming OP had email configured to provide them), then maybe that would mean something, but I’m not sure exactly what. If anything, I think Celebrity should consider that maybe something went wrong in their system given their recent history with IT issues and give the OP consideration for that (again, noting that it would be a gesture of goodwill versus a legal requirement since the burden was on the OP to provide payment on time).

There are several threads about issues with check-in over the past couple of weeks. You'll just have to call them, I'm afraid. Or wait until Monday and see if it resolves itself in the next day or two.

Lots of vaguely racist drivel being spouted here. Maybe the PA announcement was directed to passengers arriving from Spanish-speaking countries? The signs are all in English. Most airports have monitors in English that show you the location of the baggage claims. Sometimes changes are made. I had it happen to me at a regional airport just this past week—no PA announcements about it. That’s bad customer service and not a reflection of the demographic makeup of airport workers and how many languages they speak.

Passport control is another matter. Without getting into the politics of it all, I think everyone recognizes that the U.S. immigration arrival process in most every airport is hardly ever pleasant. Sometimes it’s just less annoying than other times.

Oh my....best dinner of your lives? Hopefully you are exaggerating....

That's a pretty snotty thing to say. You didn't have the dinner so you don't know how good or bad it was.

Like with any restaurant, specific dishes can be hit or miss, though I've always been pleased with what I've had. The service is generally very good, though I've had equally fine service in the MDR. What I have learned is to wait until you're onboard to have the best chance of not paying the top price since discounts are generally available.

Prior to our trip on the Silhouette last June we weren't 100% certain what the dress code would be for Luminae so we brought my husband's tux and a formal for me just to play it safe. It ended up Luminae was smart casual the entire voyage. Several other couples were in formal attire when the MDR observed "Formal Night", but no one in Luminae seemed to mind those of us who were "over-dressed." Truth be told it seemed the focus was the amazing food, ambiance, and knowing we were collectively enjoying a fabulous vacation. :)

This is a good point. I experienced something similar when dining in Ocean Liners, except it wasn't Formal Night but there were a couple of tables of people in tuxes and gowns. I noted how nice they looked and then sat at my own table and enjoyed my own meal with my own company.

Weddings that incorporate a church service. I also accidentally grabbed my tuxedo jacket when getting ready for church one one Sunday. (It was dark and my tux was right next to my blazers.) I didn't realize my error until we were coming home and I was in the sun.

 

So the answer to your question is not Never! The answer to, "When did anyone ever wear a tuxedo or formal gown to a church service?!?" is at least 4 1/2 tines in my case. The half is because I only had the jacket on one of the times.

I guess I was wrong to talk in absolutes, but the poster was referring to "Sunday go to meetin'" clothes, which to me denotes your run-of-the-mill Sunday service. Weddings are separate special events. As a rule, there was never a time when it was considered a requirement to put on tux or gown to go to a regular church service.

If anything, Sunday Best is more akin to Evening Chic. A lot of churches today are mainly smart casual, but they'll also take people in shorts and t-shirts. ;)

A multibillion dollars company and only one person has the answer to this simple question?? Where I worked, I forwarded my calls if I knew I was going to be off. If I was sick, the person who covered for me had access to my calls. Nothing I handled was confidential and it is a business phone and there should be no personal calls on the machine. It's called customer service.

And where I work, I can take the day off without worrying about all of that despite being in an environment where our company receives thousands of customer calls per day. The customer service operators are not supposed to transfer calls to me at all but sometimes it happens--either through dialing the wrong extension or they have a wrong number on a list. If I'm out for the day, it waits until I'm back to be addressed. Every workplace is different, and that is the accepted culture of ours.

As someone else already expressed, it would not be unusual for this information to not be available to the average call center worker, not to mention that not all workers are created equal in terms of proficiency or resourcefulness. When I worked at a major hotel brand's national reservation center in college, it was considered a sales job, and I was rated mainly by number of calls converted to actual reservations but never on the quality of customer service I provided to people calling to ask about the particulars of any one hotel. If the answer wasn't in the computer script, then the caller was pretty much out of luck in terms of the call center. We would usually refer them to the hotel or transfer them to whatever number we had at hand but that computer system would have made it extremely easy for me to transfer someone to a hotel in Phoenix when they were calling about Boston, and if the caller got disconnected in the process, I had no record of that or even what number they were calling from so I could call them back and try again. I think expectations are too high for the type of outfit we're dealing with here, and it's a model that is pervasive across many industries in today's corporate environment.

And maybe the person who answers that particular voice mailbox was off today? Seems a bit unreasonable to expect an immediate reply.

The people against formal night just don't want to wear their "Sunday go to meetin clothes" As Jed Clampet used to call them.

When did anyone ever wear a tuxedo or formal gown to a church service?!? Never!

On the second issue, I fully understand why they cancelled, but I believe that Celebrity is being unnecessarily hard nosed on the issue. It's obvious that the OP made an honest mistake and Celebrity should honour the original booking IMO. They have no legal requirement to do so, of course, but this is pretty shabby treatment of a customer who has simply made a mistake.

I agree with this sentiment wholeheartedly. If you have someone on the line who is willing to pay what they booked, albeit slightly late, I'm not sure why you need to turn them away. Even if you as the agent or supervisor could not authorize it, there should be someone who can. I bet even splitting the baby and charging a $100 rebooking fee or some such would be preferable to the situation described. Otherwise, you're just losing a customer for life. Perfect example of cutting off your nose to spite your face.

The obvious solution is to kick out the Zeniths. :D

I've wondered about that too. Celebrity must have based it on feedback though don't you think? Surveys? It's a pretty big step (even though HAL beat them to it)

They probably learn a lot just by watching the crowds on formal nights. As many people have pointed out, this new policy is really just catching up to what a lot of people were wearing as "formal" attire--dressy clothes but not gowns/tuxes.

Nice addition to the current Suite perks.

Especially since they're dropping lunch in Luminae on port days!

This should change the discussion off of dress codes for a bit.

LOL

This is wonderful news for me. I was a bit perturbed after booking my first Sky Suite to find out that not all suites were created equal. For the premium paid, it makes sense to grant access to what appears to be an underutilized space. I look forward to checking it out...in jeans and a polo (gasp)!

There are still many of us cruisers who do not want to sit down for dinner with people in jeans

Anyone could wear jeans on every other night of the cruise but it suddenly is beyond the pale on these one or two other nights?

No, there are a few each cruise....usually 2-3 on a 7 night cruise. The other nights are smart casual, but a jacket is still required for the men. Jeans are not allowed in the evening in the main dining venues. Oh, and on formal nights, it is expected that everyone remain in their formal wear for the entire evening.

And this is why the dress code threads go on for pages and pages. Smart casual = pants (no holes, rips or tears) with a sports shirt or sweater. Shirts must have sleeves. Nothing about a jacket. Nothing about not wearing jeans. Formal (was) only expected in the dining room and in the theater and only on the formal night. The standard you describe hasn't been the case in years.

I can understand being upset if it's 6 months out. But, these in discussion are a year and two or three months away. Frankly, I think it's generous that they're even offering $100 in this situation. No one has been able to book airfare so it's not like there are any nonrefundable costs yet. I'd be thankful that you know so far in advance that you have time to consider other options. Will it really take more than 10 days to determine what's available in the same timeframe?

I often wonder if Celebrity only employs people with limited English skills because they invariably end up with very poor phrasing for a lot of these initiatives. It's not that it's just marketing-speak, but actual contradictions in stated policies or wording that generates threads with 1800+ replies for what should be something very straightforward like a dress code. Stressing "designer jeans" versus just "jeans" is one such example from this current announcement. Can't they focus-test these announcements and FAQs with real-world travelers so that confusion can be eliminated before info is widely disseminated?

And I support this change in the dress code!

I have 2 cruises booked and both past final payment for January and February. I have had NO Email. !!!!!!

Maybe they just haven't gotten to those cruises, yet? The news just broke this morning, so it's not unusual to me that you wouldn't have been notified yet.

Chic officially replacing formal:

http://www.cruisecritic.com/news/news.cfm?ID=6642

However, the us and other governments want advanced info on passports and visas. You don't need the physical printed express pass but I think you may need to have filled out the forms on line before arriving at the port or there could be a delay. I'd check with celebrity directly on this.

For peace of mind, yes, feel free to call Celebrity. This is what their FAQ says on the subject:

"Since government regulations require cruise lines to submit final departure manifests at least 60 minutes prior to sailing, this [doing online check-in] will save you time having to fill out forms at the pier. If you have not completed Online Check-in, you will be required to complete this process at the pier two hours prior to the published sailing time."

So you need to plan on being at the pier no later than 2 hours before departure. From experience, I've done the check-in at the pier--it took a minute or two to fill out the form as part of the regular check-in process.

Yes. Assuming that you've paid for everything already, then the express pass is a convenience but not a necessity. The form you fill out at check-in doesn't take appreciably longer to complete in person than it does in advance.

The advantage of waiting is that you can you use OBC to pay for it (if you have any). If you book now, you pay for it now. Some people have had success in getting the difference refunded if you book in advance and you find a better price on board.

The disadvantage to waiting is that it's possible the price won't be as low or that they'll be full. Both of these seem to be pretty rare, though.

maybe but dryer sheets are a lot less expensive than all those other products. And they are effective.

 

My goal was to provide additional resources. Everyone needs to make their own choices.

This is an old wives' tale that has been proven to be not very effective in multiple clinical tests. Dryer sheets may have a chemical in them that will mask your smell for a bit so that mosquitoes would choose a more obvious target, but that's a very short-term effect. If you're going to be in an environment where they are prevalent (like most cruise destinations) or you're going to be outdoors for more than a few minutes, then the best protection is going to be a product that has DEET or Picaridin in it.

For my edification, could you please quote the post that suggests they sail Seabourn, I must have missed it.

They're referencing this post:

We brought our 18 month old on Seabourn. There was no charge for her except port taxes. It really depends on the line, but of all lines, you would think Seabourn would charge for someone under 2. They don't if they're the 3rd person in the room and she was better behaved than some of the passengers.

I am fine with kids being on board as long as they're older than toddler age. Even ones that small are fine as long as the parents are being conscientious enough to consider those around them. Just saying "kids will be kids" while letting the kids run around bothering people is the fastest way to get a dirty look from anyone. I'm sure everyone on this thread is a perfect parent with perfect kids, but let's not pretend we don't know exactly what type of situation I'm describing. It's the kind that good parents judge!

Having a baby or toddler sitting at the dinner table with you or at a table beside you is a different situation altogether, though. They are still learning how to eat and it can be pretty disgusting. Having a child sitting with a tablet blaring cartoons doesn't make it better.